Set Up

Inside the main hall of Ren Mansion, as Qiusheng and Ren Wei stood their ground against each other, the atmosphere grew tense.

"Captain Ren, I'm willing to go to your jail, but my junior brother and my two disciples have nothing to do with this. Don't make things difficult for them."

Just as the tension in the hall threatened to erupt, Uncle Nine, who had been staring at Master Ren's body on the floor, finally spoke.

"Of course, if Captain Ren doesn't trust my two disciples and junior brother, you can keep them all confined here in Ren Mansion. If that monster comes back tomorrow, they'll be extra hands to help you deal with it."

At Uncle Nine's words, Ren Wei's face twitched.

When trouble broke out at Ren Mansion, he had been patrolling nearby. Seeing the commotion inside, he rushed over with his men and happened to catch sight of a figure fleeing into the distance.

Ren Wei was a ruthless man. Though he couldn't make out the person's face in the darkness, he still ordered his men to open fire.

Amid the repeated gunshots, Ren Wei had watched with his own eyes as his men hit the figure in vital spots several times. Yet the person had still fled at a run.

That had truly shocked him.

So even though he really wanted to arrest everyone before him and lock them in jail, he chose to hold back for the sake of caution.

"Fine. Men, take Lin Jiu back with us."

"You'd best not try anything, you and your junior uncle and junior brother. The bullets in my gun aren't for show."

And so, Ren Wei left with Uncle Nine and Master Ren's body.

As for Qiusheng, Wencai, and the others, they were left in Ren Mansion, with two members of the security corps keeping close watch over them.

In a guest room at Ren Mansion, Ren Tingting came to see Qiusheng alone.

"Brother Sheng, my father is gone. What am I supposed to do now?"

After Ren Wei left, Tingting could no longer hold back her emotions. The moment she entered the guest room where Qiusheng was staying, she collapsed against him and burst into tears.

Faced with Ren Tingting, who was sobbing uncontrollably, Qiusheng could only gently stroke her back and softly comfort her.

"Tingting, this was your father's fate. There was no escaping it."

"You can't afford to grieve just yet. You have to be strong. Whether it's the dangers you'll face or the family business you'll have to shoulder, you'll have to face it all with courage."

"Brother Sheng..."

Ren Tingting was too choked up to speak. She could only bury herself against Qiusheng and weep.

"Ah."

Seeing her like this, he didn't know what else to say. He simply stroked her back gently, trying to calm her down.

Before long, Ren Tingting cried herself to sleep in Qiusheng's arms.

He saw the glistening tears on her face and gently wiped them away before murmuring,

"Tingting, don't worry. I'll avenge your father."

"No matter who's hiding behind all this, I'll root them out."

Qiusheng gently laid Ren Tingting down on the bed to rest. He left a note beside her, then walked straight out of the room.

As soon as he stepped outside, one of the security corps members stationed at the door came up to him.

"What are you going to do?"

Looking at the man who had approached him, Qiusheng merely curled his lips into a slight smile.

"The young lady of the Ren family has fallen asleep in her room. To avoid any suspicion, I'll have to find another guest room."

"Come on, brother, don't be so nervous. Do you really think we're some kind of cutthroats?"

As he spoke, Qiusheng walked to the room next door, pushed open the door, and went inside.

His junior uncle was sitting cross-legged on the bed, cultivating.

"Junior uncle."

At Qiusheng's quiet call, Four Eyes immediately opened his eyes.

"Qiusheng, you're here."

Four Eyes didn't seem surprised in the slightest to see Qiusheng suddenly appear in his room.

"I knew you'd come looking for me. So, how are your injuries?"

Four Eyes examined Qiusheng from head to toe and asked softly.

"Junior uncle, I'm fine. They're only superficial wounds."

"By the way, junior uncle, you and my master came to Ren Mansion today. Did you find anything?"

Touched by Four Eyes' concern, Qiusheng felt a little warmth in his heart, then asked his question.

"Hmm?"

"You seem to know something, kid."

"I don't know anything. It's just that what happened today and tonight made me sense something was wrong."

"It seems someone's been pulling the strings behind the scenes in the Ren family's affairs."

Qiusheng stared into his junior uncle's eyes and spoke slowly, enunciating each word.

"Heh, you've got a sharp nose, kid."

"That's right. Your master suspected the same thing, so after he got some information from Master Ren, he and I started investigating."

"And it's obvious that the moment we went out to investigate, we fell right into someone's trap."

"First, there were only you two boys at the public mortuary, so an outsider was able to sneak in and release Old Master Ren with ease."

"Then my senior brother and I went to investigate the person behind it all, leaving no one to guard the Ren family. That led to Master Ren's death."

"Every single event fits neatly together. Even if you beat me to death, I wouldn't believe it was all a coincidence."

As his junior uncle Four Eyes explained, Qiusheng gradually pieced together the full picture.

Though they were both elite disciples of Maoshan, his junior uncle could seem a little unreliable at times. But when it came to seeing the heart of a matter, he truly had a knack for it.

"Junior uncle, what did you find in your investigation? Did you uncover anything?"

Qiusheng asked again, but saw only a wry smile on his junior uncle's face.

"When my senior brother and I got to the old residence of that feng shui master, all we found was a pile of ruins."

"We asked around and found out that the feng shui master's family home had been razed by a fire three days ago."

"As for his descendants, they'd moved away to who-knows-where. There wasn't a single clue to follow."

Hearing his junior uncle's words, Qiusheng furrowed his brows.

"Junior uncle, did you go and look at the feng shui master's burial place?"

"Hm? You mean...?"

At Qiusheng's suggestion, Four Eyes raised an eyebrow.

"Shh, junior uncle. This stays between us."

As he spoke, Qiusheng noticed that the sky outside was already beginning to lighten. He immediately continued,

"Junior uncle, when night falls, I'll have to ask you to hold down the fort here. I'm going to get my master out of jail."

"After all, Master Ren's body is a problem in itself. And Old Master Ren has drunk the blood of his own kin. I don't know how strong he is now, so we'll have a better chance of taking him down if I get my master out."

"Fine. Leave your master to me. As for Ren Mansion, don't worry. Even if I can't beat that corpse, I should still be able to protect everyone here."

Four Eyes spoke confidently to Qiusheng. When he finished, silence fell over the room. The two of them sat cross-legged and began to cultivate.